Homogenizer.



F. W. THURSTON.

HOIVIOGENIZER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3. I9I4,

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.-

narran enanas earning estaca FRED W. THURSTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO,CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE .ASSIGN- MENTS, TO'THURSTON MOTOR FUELGASIFIER COMPANY 0F CALIFORNIA, A COR- PORATION OE CALIFORNIA.

HOMOGENIZER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 22, 1918.

Application filed. September 3, 1914. Serial No. 860,033.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L FRED W. THURsToN, a citizen of the United States, andresident of San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State ofCalifornia, have invented a certain new ment in Homogenizer, ing is aspecification.

T his invention relates homogenizers which are especially designed foruse in connection with explosive engines where a hydrocarbon fuel of alow grade, other than gasolene, is used.

It is one of the primary objects of this invention to inter-pose theimproved homogeuizer between the carbureter and the engine so as tocompletely gasify not only the heavy vapor `mixture from the carbureterbut also to gasify the particles of fuel with which the mixture isladened when leaving the carbureter, it being understood thatcarburation of kerosene and other low grade oils is not possible withcarbureters now in use.

It is a further object of this invention to employ a homogenizer havingone or more Hash heating members against which the heavy vapor isdischarged so that the latter is almost instantly transformed into a drypure gas of a high explosive efficiency.

It is a still further object to incorporate in the homogenizer asuitable means for breaking up the heavy vapor and this fea'- tnre of myinvention is so arranged that said means will act upon the vapor priortoits admission into the homogenizer, the homogenizing means itself beingof novel construction.

Other features and objects of the invention will be more fully describedin connection withl the accompanying drawings, and will be moreparticularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the homogenizer andcarburetor detached from the automobile.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the structure shownin Fig. 1.

'Fig 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Like characters of .reference designate similar parts throughout thedifferent figures of the drawings.

-The improved of which the followhomogenizer, which is inand usefulImproveto improvements in y dicated as a whole at Ll, is shown connectedwith the exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine (not shown)by a pipe 5, the homogenizer having an exhaust discharge 6.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, 7 designates an air inletpipe into which the needle valve 8 of the carbureter extends. Thecarbureter includes a tank 9 into which fuel is fed or delivered from asupply pipe 10 which is connected with a fuel tank 11, as best shown inFig. 1. ioat valve limits the supply delivered to the fuel tank 9. Avalve 12 is interposed in the pipe 7 to control the volume of mixturepassing therethrough, and posterior to the valve 12 with respect tothedirection of flow, I interpose a foralninated breaker 13 for breaking upand sub-dividing the heavy vapor and also the liquid particles of fuelcarried thereby so as to facilitate transformation into gas when themixture reaches the homogenizer, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Reference will now be made more particularly to that part of thestructure relating to the homogenizer, the function of which is totransform the heavy vapor into a gas prior to its entrance into thecylinder of the engine.

The homogenizcr shown comprises a shell vided with removable end caps 15and 16, adapted to be threaded on to the shell 14, as shown. Pipe 5delivers the exhaust gases to cap 15 and exhaust pipe 6 is connectedwith cap 16 ,to convey the discharged exhaust gases to a point below theengine, or to any other point. The shell 14 is provided with false endwalls 17 and 18, which may be secured to the shell in any desired mannerand which will preferably be composed of thin copper or other suitablematerial which is susceptibleI of being readily heated to a very' hightemperature with' the least possible loss. It will be seen by referenceto Fig.l 3, that the false end wallsor diaphragms 17 and 18 areprotected against heat radiation' endvvise of the heater by reason ofthe end chambers 19 and 20, and as regards radial heat radiation, thesaine are protected by the overlapping margins 21 and 22 of the caps 15and 16, which extend over the heater shell 14. inwardly beyond thediaphragms 17 and 18. The diaphragms i 17 and 18 form with the shell 14a chamber 23 through which the mixture Furthermore,

`.it being understood passes on its way from the carbureter to theengine. In order to gasify the mlxture, the shell 14 is heated andvIprovide heatlng tubes 24 `which extend through chamber 23 and which openinto chambers 19 and 20 so that exhaust gases delivered by pipe 5 willpass through they tubes and outwardly through disohargepipe 6. In orderto render the heating actlon of the exhaust gases most effective againstthe primary or irntially engaged diaphragm 17, I dispose all of thetubes 24 out of registry with plpe 5 so that `the gases will against thediaphragm 17 and will then haveto travel abreast. thereof in order toreach the open intake ends of the tubes 24. Likewise, pipe 6 is out ofregistry with tubes 24 land preferably projects inwardly from cap 16 asindicated at 25, so that the gases egressing from tubes` 24 will reboundfrom the cap 16 backwardly against and play upon diaphragm 1S prior totheir discharge or entrance into and through pipe 6 thereby serving toraise phragm 18 almost to the same temperature as that to which thediaphragm 17 is heated, that these diaphragme willbe maintained at ahigh temperature as long-as the exhaust gases are passing therethrough.l I

lt will now beseen that the very thin diaphragms 17 and 1Sy operate asflash plates so that the heavy vapor and any fuel particles carriedthereby will be almost instantly transformed into a highly explosive gaswhen coming in contact therewith. The tubes 24 serve to heat thegasifying chamber 23 so that the high temperature of the gas will not belost in passing through 'the chamber 23.

I will now describe a very important feature ofmy invention whichconsists in means for conveying orcausing the mixture to be directlyguided against the diaphragms, and more particularly, against thatportion thereof, or those portions,v which attain the maximumtemperature.

As shown,26 designates a heater inlet pipe which is shown formedintegral with shell 14 and which is connected with mixture pipe 7, at27. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the inlet pipe 2 6extends a very considerable distance inside of the gasifier shell 14 sothat the pipe itself will form an effective heater prior to actualadmission of the mixture into. the gasifier. pipe 26 extends toward andhas its terminal 28 not only in close relation with respect to diaphragm17 but it is also disposedl so that-said terminal 28 will besubstantially axially disposed with respect to the gasiiier therebyresulting in initial discharge of the mixture against the centralgasifying l first be directed the temperature of dia-A 'ing the flowportion of the heated diaphragm, which will be at the highesttemperature, it being understood that it is against the central portionof diaphragm 17 that the exhaust gases are discharged from pipe 5. Thusthe heavy vapor will almost instantly be transformed into a dry gaswhich will rebound from the diaphragm 17 and pass longitudinally in thegasier toward diaphragm 18, thls longitudinal passage being along thetubes 24 so that the gas will not lose its heat. lVhile the diaphragm 18may not be as effective as the diaphragm 17, itwill be sufficientlyhighly heated so that no loss by radiation will result. Furthermore, inpractice, it is found not desirable to heat the gas too highly.

An outlet pipe is shown formed integral withv the shell 14 and is curvedlike the .lnletpipe 26 so that its intake terminal 30 will not only lieclosely adjacent the diaphragm 18 but near the center thereof, which isthe most highly heated portion.

is shown connected with the.

pansion in volume of the heavy vapor which Y has been practicallyperfectly gasified by diaphragm 17, and that the outlet pipe 29 is notlarger than the inlet pipe 26, there will be a most effective play ofthe gas abreast of the diaphragm 18 as it seeks egress through outletpipe 29, this being true irrespective as to whether or not the gaseousfuelliows by reason of piston snction'or force feed.

It is believed that --the advantages and utility of my invention will befully understood from the foregoing description, and while I havelherein shown and described one specific form of my invention, I do notwish to be limited thereto except for such limitations as the claims mayimport.

1. In a homogenizer of the character described, a fine screen interposedin the path of the incoming gaseous fuel to break up the particles ofliquid fuel carried thereby, a thin flash heating plate disposed in thepath of fuel for contact thereby after the fuel has passed through thescreen, 'and means for directinga Ahot blast against said flash heatingplateMto quickly homogenize by reason of the fact'A substantially asdescribed.

2. In a homogenizer of the character described, a thin Hash fuel heatingand homoglenizing plate, blast against one side of said plate andlocalizing the flow against one ortion of the plate, means forconveyingl o kthe blast-and causing it to spread over said plate,'andmeans for directing a gaseous fuel against the remaining side of saidplate and localizdirectly opposite the point of means v'for directing a.hot .y

localization of iow of the blast and causing the fuel to spread oversaid plate, substantially as described.

3. In a homogenizer, in combination, a heater, a thin flash heatingdiaphragm at each end of said heater, means for causing exhaust enginegases to pass through said heater from one diaphragm to the other andheat said diaphragms, means for discharging a fuel mixture against ,oneof said diaphragins, and means for discharging the said fuel mixture,after heating, from a point directly abreast of the other of saiddiaphragms, substantially as described.

4. In a homogenizer, in combinaton, a heater, a thin flash heatingdiaphragm at each end of said heater, means for passing waste gases intocontact with one side of each diaphragm, means for protecting saiddiaphragm from radiation, means for conducting said waste gases from onediaphragm to the other, and means for discharging a fuel adinixturedirectly against one of said diaphragms, and means for taking it awayfrom directly abreast of the other of said diaphragms, substantially asdescribed.

5. For homogenizing a fuel admixture, in combination, a heater, a thinflash heating diaphragm atvleach end of said heater, open from a pointdirectly respective or -adjacent diaphragm, a pipe leading to one ofsaid chambers to deliver waste.. gases centrally of one of saiddraphragms and the other of said chambers having a discharge opening forthe exhaust gases, a fuel pipe discharging in said heater directlyagainst one of said diaphragms, and a fuel pipe arranged to take off thefuel abreast of the other of said diaphragms whereby fuel ladened air iscaused to absorb the heat from each of said diaphragms and from saidheating tubes, to vaporize and unvaporzed fuel, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereby affix mysignature in the presence of tivo subscribing Witnesses.

FRED lV. THURSTON.

lVitnesses SMITH, CARL H. CRAWFORD.

